How Religions View Artificial Intelligence
The use of Generative AI (GAI) is having a profound impact on religions around the world and it’s important to understand as religions play a significant role in all cultures. From chatbots that act as a spiritual guide to sermons delivered by AI.
Given the significant role of religion in our societies and how pervasive GAI tools are becoming, understanding how religions are viewing, using and adopting GAI can help us understand the moral and ethical implications of GAI in our world, and perhaps play a key role in how AI evolves over time.
GAI tools can enhance religious beliefs and practices while also challenging our notion of human exceptionalism, perhaps even leading to the formation of new religions. One successful Silicon Valley entrepreneur is creating a church known as Way of the Future (WOTF.) There is some discussion that AI too, may fundamentally change the major religions of the world; Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism. Indigenous peoples are weighing in on AI and its role with their belief systems, as are pagan religions from Druids to Wiccan.
Debates, discussions and theories are buzzing across all religions, with, as one would expect, some going all in, and others steadfastly against, any role of AI in a religion.
